'Nobody Was Friendly With Me': Andreescu Reveals Brutal Reality Of Life On Tour
NewsFriday, 25 April 2025 at 21:17
Bianca Andreescu demonstrated once again that she is one of the nicest people in tennis after explaining why she reached out to Alexandra Eala.
Andreescu can relate to Eala bursting onto the scene at a young age. The Canadian, who began the 2019 WTA season ranked outside the Top 100, won the 2019 iterations of the Indian Wells Open and Canadian Open, and then became a worldwide star by triumphing at the US Open.
Eala's achievements are not yet as significant, but her run to the semifinals of the 2025 Miami Open as a wild card ranked outside the Top 100 was still incredible. She beat Iga Swiatek and Jelena Ostapenko to reach that stage.
The Filipina threatened to upset Swiatek for a second time after winning the first set of their contest at the 2025 Madrid Open. Although the four-time French Open champion ultimately showed her class to win, the match proved Eala's talents again.
At the Madrid Open, Reem Abulleil asked Andreescu why she made the effort to congratulate Eala and give her support after what the 19-year-old achieved in Miami. The former world No. 4 revealed no one was that nice to her when she broke through at a young age.
"I met her in Thailand, I think two years ago. I remember watching her play, and I knew she was going to be good. She's a really good person, and putting myself in her shoes, obviously, it's different, but I'm going to be honest, I didn't have anybody reach out to me."
"And no one was friendly with me on the Tour; no one would say hi to me. And I told myself I don't want the next generation to feel that way."
This is not the first time Andreescu has made such a gesture. Mirra Andreeva stated earlier this year that the Canadian was the one WTA player who reached out to her when she emerged as a 15-year-old in 2023.
Although Andreescu knows she might not be able to help players like Eala and Andreeva in all cases, she wants to do her best to be friendly and make the WTA Tour a balance between being competitive and also not needlessly unkind.
"I know it's a competitive environment, but at the same time, us women, we are really the only ones that understand each other. As much as possible. Yeah, I reached out to her, and she knows she can come to me. I mean, who knows if anybody needs help because we are all so different."
"My advice might not be as relevant for what she needs. Reaching out to Mirra as well, which I did, it was kind of the same vibe. I'm here if they want to talk, and we do kind of keep in touch a little bit."
Some think it is necessary to be cold and ruthless to be successful in professional sport, but Andreescu refuses to use that approach. She has had a challenging few years due to injuries, but that has not stopped her from being a kind person.
Madison Keys, who won her maiden Grand Slam title at the 2025 Australian Open, agrees with Andreescu's mindset. The American has always been bothered by people saying she needed to be less nice to be successful.
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